LaFlore Skincare | The Power of Probiotics

This post contains sponsored content by the PRIMP Network. All opinions are my own.

Do you ever feel like your skin maybe isn't fuctioning at its best? Maybe it's a little dull and lackluster, irritated, or just tired-looking. Making the switch to probiotic skincare could be the fix for you. LaFlore Skincare has just brought out a brand new 3-step skincare system that will help "train" the skin to take care of itself, leaving a glowing, bright complexion. The probiotics work to enhance the "good flora," or microbes that live on the skin, which strengthens their defenses so they're able to heal and and protect the skin. They really work to target skin dysfunction at its core. The best part is that once the good flora are restored, the skin can be permanently healthy. LaFlore Skincare uses only active biomolecules at clinical strengths as well as natural plant-based ingredients - it's all about balance. They use a variety of different probiotics to target different skin concerns and provide the skin with the nourishment it needs all day long. The line currently consists of three products: the Probiotic Cleanser, Serum Concentrate, and the Probiotic Daily Defense Moisturizer.

LaFlore Probiotic Cleanser | This cleanser has a creamy consistency that works to gently exfoliate the skin as it cleanses. It contains Pineapple Extract to exfoliate, antimicrobial essential oils, Perilla Seed Oil for redness relief and for calming inflammation, and LaFlore's Probiotic Cocktail A for cell renewal and hydration. This cleanser left my skin feeling smooth and cleansed, but not stripped or tight. It feels slightly cooling on the skin, and I did notice a reduction in the redness in my skin quite quickly. This is meant to be used at night, applied to dry skin and rinsed off. It can also be applied to clean, dry skin and left on as a mask for about one minute. 

LaFlore Serum Concentrate | This is my favorite product from the line. It's a lightweight serum that packs a serious punch in terms of hydration and nourishment. It contains a lot of skin-loving ingredients like Aloe, Hemp Seed Oil, Sea Buckthorn Fruit Oil, St. John's Oil, Avocado, Jojoba, Squalane, Beta Carotene and LaFlore's Probiotic Cocktail C. This really helped to soothe my skin and relieve redness, as well as keeping it nourished all night. It instantly gave a dewy glow to my skin and helped to brighten my skin over time.

LaFlore Probiotic Daily Defense Moisturizer | This moisturizer is more lightweight than what I'm used to, so I was really surprised just how moisturizing it was. It plumped up my skin and left it so smooth and even. It works to strengthen the skin's defenses against pollution and other common stressors, leading to healthier skin over time. It contains Aloe, Pomegranate Seed Oil, Bisabolol Oil, Hyaluronic Acid, and another Probiotic Cocktail (B). This keeps my skin nourished all day and creates a beautifully smooth canvas. It also subtly enhances the skin's glow with pearls.

One thing I love about the products is that the main ingredient in each of them is aloe, not water. This makes them so soothing and healing on the skin. The line is free from petrolatum, silicones, dimethicones, soy, gluten, mineral oil, parabens, and sulfates. They are plant-based, organic, and cruelty-free. After using the three products together for about a month, I've already seen great improvement in how my skin functions. It gets over breakouts more quickly, I haven't had much redness, and it doesn't dry out throughout the day. My skin's texture has also improved - the smoothness of my skin is one of the biggest changes I've seen.

You can get 20% off your purchase at laflore.com with the code PRIMP20.

Are you interested in this new line? Have you ever tried probiotic skincare before?

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Hourglass Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette

T-B | Absolute Strobe Light, Pure Strobe Light, Lucent Strobe Light

Hourglass always manages to draw me in with their holiday releases - I'm so surprised I managed to resist ordering their Ambient Lighting palette in the marble packaging last year, and this year, I was so close to getting the new rose gold one. But when the new Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette was released, I knew that was the one for me. I have a few blushes, a bronzer, and one of the original powders, so I don't really need the whole edit. But a palette of three beautiful highlighters in a brand new formula? Color me intrigued.

The Hourglass Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette builds on their popular Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders and contains three unique shades in a new, more intense formula. The three new shades are Absolute Strobe Light, a rosy champagne, Pure Strobe Light, a white gold, and Lucent Strobe Light, a copper-y bronze shade.

The new Metallic Strobe formula gives a more brilliant finish than the original Strobe powders on the skin. The powders themselves feel like literal velvet - so smooth and soft. They kick up a little bit of powder when you swirl a brush in them, but it's nothing major. They smooth over the skin beautifully and give a dewy-looking sheen. They really do mimic the look of a cream. For this reason, they've been amazing for layering over cream products to ensure a longer-lasting highlight. They can be applied with a light hand for a sheer, more subtle finish, or they can be built up to an intense metallic sheen. Although intense, they do not appear glittery or powdery on the skin. I don't have too much texture on my cheeks, but I haven't noticed these emphasizing pores or texture.

My favorite way to wear all three shades is by mixing Absolute and Pure for a more neutral champagne sheen on my cheekbones and on the inner corners of my eyes, and then I've been using Lucent as an eyeshadow - all three shades are truly stunning. I really hope they release this formula in singles, as it's quickly become a favorite, along with the Ambient Lighting Blushes.  If you're a highlighter fiend like me, I'd definitely recommend picking this up before it's gone!

Have you tried any of this year's holiday releases from Hourglass?

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Glossier Body Hero | Review + Discount

Whenever Glossier comes out with a new product, you know I have to review it. Just last week, Glossier launched Body Hero, a duo of two bodycare products - think of it like the Phase 3 set. The new products are the Daily Oil Wash, an oil-based body wash, and the Daily Perfecting Cream, a rich and luxurious body cream. The products are fantastic, of course, but I also am so in love with the Body Hero campaign. It's so refreshing to see such a diverse group of women featured, and the message is empowering. You are a Body Hero, and you're beautiful the way you are. 

Onto the products, after using them just once, I immediately ordered backups. The Daily Oil Wash reminds me a bit of the L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil - it's a thick, "cushion-y" oil that gently froths up when it comes in contact with water. It spreads easily over the body, so I find I need about the same amount as any other body wash - a pump for both arms, a pump for my torso, one for my legs, and one for my back. It rinses away completely without leaving a film on the skin, but it does leave a lovely, moisturized feeling. A lot of body washes I've tried really strip my skin (which then leads to breakouts on my back), but I've noticed since this one is nice and moisturizing, I haven't been breaking out as much.

The Daily Perfecting Cream is probably my favorite product of the two. It has a rich, buttery texture, quite like the Priming Moisturizer Rich, but it sinks into the skin amazingly fast. I normally skip out on moisturizing my body aside from my legs because I just can't stand the sticky feeling, but I've actually been using this all over. In the winter I might have to pair it with a body oil on my legs (because they're just next-level dry), but for the rest of my body, it gives the perfect amount of hydration. It also contains a teeny tiny bit of shimmer to give the skin a beautiful dewy look - so now you can have that Glossier Glow all over your body.

Let's talk about the scent: amazing. It's a subtle orange blossom and neroli scent - I'm terrible at describing scents, but it's gentle, earthy, and fresh all at once. It reminds me of a scent that might be used in baby products. The scent is stronger in the Daily Oil Wash than it is in the Daily Perfecting Cream, and I feel like I notice a slight increase in sweetness in the scent of the cream. The scent stays close to the skin and dissipates over the course of the day - I can really only smell it if I press my nose to my skin for the first few hours.

You can get the Daily Oil Wash and Daily Perfecting Cream separately or as a Duo - you save $5 with the duo, and you'll get free shipping too. You can shop through my rep link at glossier.com/reps/kelsey for 20% off your first order - orders through my link make it possible for me to be sent the new products early, so I'm always so grateful for your support. I also make a small commission on orders through my link, so if that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to just shop through Glossier's website.

Products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information. This post contains affiliate links.

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Fenty Beauty Review | Pro Filt'r Foundation, Match Stix, Killawatt, Gloss Bomb

Ok, I fell for the hype hard. I wasn't even planning on getting anything from Fenty Beauty, but when it launched, I realized how beautiful everything looked, how well it seemed to fit with my own makeup goals, and how it wouldn't be a scramble to look around on the website and get something before everything sold out. I wanted to get a good representation of the line for the purpose of a review, and I made sure to stick to products I'd still actually use. I don't always listen to Rihanna's music, but I'm a big fan of her as a person, so I was super excited to see what she'd bring out. I love seeing how involved she was in the process, and it seemed like a true passion project rather than a celebrity money-grab. 

Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation | I've been on the glossy, dewy train for so long that I was starting to think I needed just one foundation in my collection that wasn't. I was going to go for the Milk Makeup one, but then this dropped and I had to have it. I was nervous at first because my skin is quite dry, but oh my goodness I'm obsessed with this foundation. I do have to make sure my skin is prepped properly to prevent it catching on any dryness, but I find that a layer of Glossier Priming Moisturizer mixed with a drop or two of rosehip oil makes a perfect base. When first applied, it doesn't look great. But as it sits on the skin, it transforms to such a beautiful finish. It lets the perfect amount of my natural oils through and looks velvety and luminous after just an hour. It continues looking lovely on the skin for such a long time - usually my skin drinks up foundations within a few hours, but this one lasts all day (around 8-10 hours). I did end up getting a shade that's too light, but the undertone is spot on. I can make it work with light coverage, but I think I'm going to order another shade at some point for mixing so I can build it up more. Also, it's amazing to see so many different shades included, especially in an initial launch. It's been so nice to see people online and in Sephora so excited to see a shade they can actually use. Rihanna really paid attention to undertones as well as bringing out actual wearable deeper shades, something I hope the rest of the beauty world sees and follows suit.

Full Bodied Foundation Brush 110 | I picked up the brush to go along with the foundation because I couldn't get over how beautiful it looked. It's quite soft and dense, and it's a bit of a hybrid between an old-school paddle foundation brush and a buffing brush. It's a similar shape to the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, actually, which is one of my favorites. This brush really gives a flawless, high coverage finish. I'm not used to applying my base with a brush so I do tend to go over it with a damp sponge once applied, but I can definitely still see myself using this brush for foundation application and perhaps blending out contour. I'm super intrigued by the highlight brush as well - if you've tried it, let me know!

Match Stix Matte & Shimmer Skinsticks, 'Amber' & 'Starstruck' | I thought these were going to be the stand out products for me from the line, seeing as I love anything in stick form. The contour shade (Amber) is beautiful and perfect for my skintone - it's quite an ashy brown, and it creates such a natural-looking shadow. Both shades are drier than I was expecting, but Amber has a bit of a silicone "slippy" feel that makes it super easy to blend. It doesn't break me out, either. Starstruck is a beautiful pink champagne with lots of silver shimmer, but I find it's a bit too dry to use on my cheekbones - I have a hard time getting it to blend out without dragging glitter all over my face. I do love it on my eyelids and inner corners though, and the dry texture lends itself well there - it doesn't move around at all.

T-B | Girl Next Door, Chic Phreak, Starstruck, Amber, Fenty Glow

Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter, 'Girl Next Door/Chic Phreak' | I think I was most drawn to these beauties out of everything that was released. I love the packaging, and the idea of having a duo of subtle and intense highlighters really appealed to me. I got the Girl Next Door/Chic Phreak shade thinking the pink-toned shades would work well on my cheeks as well as eyes, but these are actually less pigmented than I thought they'd be. Rather than showing up super pink like they do in the pan, they give the skin more of a sheen without color. This isn't a bad thing at all - it's one of my new favorite highlighters for sure. The more subtle side (Girl Next Door) looks just like a cream product on the skin, so it'll be one I reach for when I want something more longlasting than a cream, but still want the cream look.

Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer, 'Fenty Glow' | I've been super into glossy lips lately, and this one stole the show and is definitely my favorite product out of everything I got. It's a lightweight, comfortable formula that isn't sticky, gloopy, or runny. The shade is a lovely warm rose nude with a bit of golden shimmer, and it really seems like it would be a flattering shade on anyone. It lasts well throughout the day, even after eating and drinking. I love the scent (it's fruity and reminds me of something from my childhood), but I wish it faded more quickly. I do love that it makes my lips look a little more pouty and full, without even having to line/overline them.

Overall I'm quite impressed with the products I picked up, and I can't wait to see what's in store for Fenty Beauty next.

Did you pick anything up when they launched?

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My Charlotte Tilbury Lip Collection | Lip Cheats, Hot Lips, & Matte Revolution

One of my favorite brands, for lip products and other makeup, is Charlotte Tilbury. With her latest launch of the Hollywood Lips Liquid Lipsticks, it inspired me to start going through my collection of other CT lip products. I'm hoping it'll take away the temptation to order a bunch of the liquid lipsticks!

T-B: Iconic Nude, Pillow Talk, Crazy in Love, Hollywood Honey, Kim KW, Pillow Talk, Super Cindy, Very Victoria, Bond Girl

The Lip Cheats are definitely my favorite formula of lip liner. It's the perfect middleground between dry and creamy, so they're longlasting without drying out the lips. They have more of a waxy texture than something like MAC's liners, and they smooth out and enhance the lips rather than shriveling them up. Iconic Nude and Pillow Talk are my everyday go-tos - Iconic Nude is a brown nude that's perfect for more dramatic eye looks or for toning down pink nudes, and Pillow Talk is hands-down the best pink nude ever. It really makes the lips look bigger, even without overdrawing them. Crazy in Love is a beautiful plummy shade that looks great on its own as well as under pink and plum lipsticks - it's one that's going to be getting lots of use this fall. Hollywood Honey is the best 90s brick-brown that gives a bee-stung look to the lips when it's smudged in over a balm, and my favorite is pairing it with Glossier Gen G in Leo.

The Matte Revolution Lipsticks are also probably my favorite lipstick formula. It gives the sophisticated look of a matte, but they're still beautifully creamy and comfortable. Again, Pillow Talk is my favorite here. It's quite similar to the liner shade, as expected, so they make the perfect pair for subtly enhancing the lips, and it's a color that goes with any look. I'm 99% sure these will be my lip products of choice for my wedding. Very Victoria is my second favorite (and technically part of the Hot Lips collection now) - it's a brown-toned nude with a bit of a purple tone to it. Usually brown nudes pull red/orange on me, but this one doesn't. It pairs really well with the Iconic Nude liner. Bond Girl is the most perfect fall shade - a little bit of a berry, but a little bit neutral. It goes with a lot of looks, and it's bold without going overboard. 

When she launched her Hot Lips collection, I jumped and grabbed two shades, Super Cindy and Kim KW. Super Cindy is another Matte Revolution formula and meant to be the perfect Cindy Crawford 90s brown shade. It's actually quite peachy on me, and I love it because it's the one peach shade I feel like I can pull off. It's great paired with other warm shades. Kim KW is a K.I.S.S.I.N.G. formula, and the only one I own. It's super creamy and comfortable on the lips, but it doesn't slip and slide around. It's a pale pink nude, and perhaps it's a bit too pale for me on its own, but paired with a slightly darker liner (like Pillow Talk or Iconic Nude), it's perfect. Since it's not the matte formula, it's not totally opaque, making it more wearable. I definitely need more shades in this formula - I've got my eye on Bitch Perfect next.

What's your favorite Charlotte Tilbury lip product?

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A Green(ish) Routine for Clear Skin

If you've seen any of my Instagram Stories over the past few weeks, you may have heard me whining about how I was breaking out like CRAZY. As soon as one spot would heal, three or four more would pop up. I'm pretty sure it was from all the stress of moving, but it was really getting me down. I hunkered down and put together a routine that ended up really helping get my skin back to normal, and as I gathered the products together, I noticed a lot of them had green packaging in common. Subliminal messaging, perhaps?

My skin just constantly felt congested, so I was alternating between the Origins Modern Friction Cleansing Stick* and Clear Improvement Cleansing Powder* for cleansing. The Modern Friction stick has been my go-to for the morning, and it feels so refreshing. It gives a very gentle exfoliation, so it wasn't too abrasive on breakouts, and it didn't strip my skin. While I had active breakouts, I rubbed the cleanser into my hands rather than directly on my face. On nights when I hadn't used the cleansing stick, I would mix some of the Clear Improvement powder into Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser to give it a little kick. The charcoal really helped to clear out my pores, and, again, didn't strip my skin.

I of course used a few masks to try and clear things up, and there were two standouts for me. The Sunday Riley Saturn Sulfur Acne Treatment Mask* is specifically for breakouts and acne-prone skin, containing 10% sulfur to fight acne, as well as niacinamide and zinc to soothe and promote clear skin. I prefer using this as a 10-minute mask targeted on my breakouts rather than a spot treatment (which it also says you can use it for). I used it about twice per week and I really noticed an improvement in my skin. It shrank down my spots and made them less red and painful. Word of warning, though - just wash it off with water and not a washcloth - I used a washcloth, and then everything in the same load of laundry of that washcloth ended up smelling like sulfur.

The other mask I reached for a lot (and am still reaching for) is the Youth to the People Age Prevention Superfood Mask.* It's a creamy clay mask that really feels like green juice straight to the face. My skin always feels cleansed, but never stripped, after using this mask. It doesn't dry and crack like other clay masks, but rather stays quite soft. It helped my skin look brighter and clearer after every use.

I used a combo of two serums, usually - one to treat, and one to hydrate. The Glossier Super Pure serum has been a lifesaver. It's a niacinamide and zinc serum that keeps the skin soothed and blemish-free. I've found that a lot of my breakouts stem from my skin being dehydrated, so a good, hydrating serum was also key. I've been obsessed with the Dr. Roebuck's Ultimate Hydrating Serum* all summer, and it's definitely going to transition well into the fall and winter. It has a thicker formula, but it sinks into the skin quickly and feels so hydrating, plumping, and smoothing. I definitely saw a difference on days I used this compared to days when I didn't.

I went for two types of moisturizers during this time (and sometimes a mix of both) - a lightweight gel-cream product for daytime, and a light yet nourishing oil for night. The CosRx Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream has been a staple for the past few months, but it really came in handy while I was breaking out. The formula is lightweight and yet super hydrating, so I could use it during the day and be moisturized all day long without my skin feeling clogged. And at night, I always finished off my skincare with a layer of the Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil - I like using Marula oil because it feels really light on the skin.

What products do you reach for when you're breaking out?

*Products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information. This post contains affiliate links.

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